School Voucher Initiative

The school voucher initiative would be a colossal mistake if passed (May 21). There isn't a private school in Southern California that costs $2,000-2,500 a year. Vouchers would only supplement families that can almost afford or can already afford private school tuitions. Poor and less privileged families would be left with even worse schools than now. This is "choice"? This is un-American. Public education benefits all in the long run, whether one's family attends or not. The school voucher initiative is a selfish plan that offers no solutions, and strikes a death blow to our faltering public educational system.

Despite the defeat of the school voucher initiative, Prop. 38, Timothy Draper says he's not done fighting. He claims, "Kids have been trapped in failed schools for too long" (Nov. 8). In my opinion, the only one trapped here is Draper. He is living in his own myopic world, in which he thinks he can pay voters to accept his distorted view of reality. Mr. Draper, how about spending some of that $23 million you spent of Prop. 38 on those kids you profess to be saving? That might really make a difference.

Opposition to a hard-fought school voucher initiative on California's November ballot is growing, a poll released Friday shows. Proposition 38 would let parents use $4,000 in taxpayers' money to send their child to a private school. The Field Poll found that 52% of likely voters who were surveyed oppose Proposition 38, while 36% support it and 12% are undecided.

A Sept. 25 letter writer says, "Everyone will lose should the school voucher initiative pass." Well, I believe everyone will gain (especially students). He maintains parents will discover $4,000 will not pay for private schools. The average cost is $4,200. He also claims public schools will lose revenue. The state pays about $6,500 per student to the public school system. It will be saving $2,500 per student. He maintains private schools will lose autonomy. Wrong again--these schools were teaching long before public schools were in business and will be teaching long after the public school system has destroyed itself.

A statewide initiative that would allow parents to use taxpayer money to send their children to private schools could divert millions of dollars in state money from Ventura County's general services and local public schools. Proposition 38, which will appear on the November ballot, would give parents a $4,000-per-child credit, or voucher, to help pay for private school tuition.

We read with interest your post-voucher election analysis about the prospects for fundamental education reform in Sacramento ("School Voucher Threat Gives Impetus for Reform," Nov. 8). Unfortunately, we were disappointed with the characterization of the exciting LEARN reform program under way here in Los Angeles. The article described our Board of Education's unanimous support of LEARN as a reluctant and defensive response to external political threats. In fact, we participated in the LEARN effort before there was a breakup movement or a threatened teacher strike or any other external political threat.

An initiative that would have brought radical change to California's schools was defeated by a large margin Tuesday, as voters soundly rejected a plan to let parents use tax-funded vouchers to pay their children's tuition at private schools. With a broad coalition of political, union and business interests allied against it, Proposition 174, the Education Vouchers Initiative, lost by a margin of more than 2 to 1.

Backers of the school voucher initiative continue to be vastly outspent by opponents, raising $1.3 million to the $4 million raised by foes during the four-week period ending Oct. 16, the latest campaign finance reports show. With the election a week from today, the combined fund-raising by proponents and opponents of Proposition 174 tops $18 million, making it the seventh most expensive initiative campaign in state history. Proposition 174's opponents have raised more than $14.